<p>I have ADD and qualify for extended time but I kind of have issues with... well I don't really know. I know that I have a legitimate disability and it's not cheating at all to use extended time. But I know that if I used it I'd feel like my score wasn't the same. It sounds dumb I know and I don't really know how to explain it I just have issues with things I do not being good enough for me.
Did I do something really stupid? Did anyone else do the same thing and can relate to me?
I still ended up with a 2160 but with unlimited time who knows what I could have gotten.</p>
<p>Same issue; I took in October without a diagnosis and did pretty well but my math score was wayyyyy lower than it was on practices, and since I’ve gone on meds, my math scores in a timed situation have been improving. </p>
<p>I don’t think I’m going to retake with extended time, though. I’m pretty sure that if you do, colleges will see your diagnosis/you have to get a 504 (which I don’t have because my school is willing to provide in-class accommodations without one), and I don’t really want colleges to see my diagnosis. So it’s not just a moral issue for me.</p>
<p>No, it doesn’t show if you use accommodations. Studies have shown extended time won’t help someone’s score improve if they don’t have an ld. I could sit all day staring at those math problems and it wouldn’t help me.</p>
<p>Use the extended time, it’s leveling the playing field.</p>
<p>It’s not unlimited time. It is something like time and a half for each section. So, if a section is 30 minutes, I believe you would get 45 minutes for that section. You should use it. There is a reason extra time is an accommodation for ADHD diagnosed students, which typically has to do processing time not on par with cognitive ability. For instance, high cognitive ability and average processing time causing some cognitive dissonance.</p>
<p>Whether a student has extended time or not is not provided to colleges.</p>
<p>Really? I’m confused. I know I have to get a 504 in order to get extended time (right?), and I thought colleges would find out that I had that, even if they didn’t specifically know that I had gotten extended time on the test?</p>
<p>I’m don’t think colleges would know you had a 504 in high school unless you told them. Check with your GC on that. If you have a diagnosis and if you experience problems concentrating and it affects your work I don’t see any problem in getting the 504. I’m assuming you are not a senior in high school.</p>
<p>No, I’m a junior. I don’t need to have a 504 to get accommodations at school, though, so it seems like unnecessary paperwork unless I really do decide to retake with extended time…hmmmm. I’ll check.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that sometimes ADHD becomes a greater problem as the work or course load becomes more demanding and sometimes students in college experience much difficulty if they are not managing the ADHD. I’m no expert, but legally one cannot be discriminated against due to disability. ADHD is a learning disability and I do not think the schools can discriminate against it, if they are notified of a plan.</p>
<p>My DS is a soph, has mild Asperger’s & ADHD. He’s had an IEP since 3 yrs old. He has already applied for and rec’d approval for time and a half for SATs next year. (We had been told that approval could take a long time to obtain so he applied early.) He probably won’t need the extra time but knowing that he has it will take away a lot of the test-related anxiety.</p>
<p>A note on extended time-- because it’s time and a half per section of the test, it means the test goes on forever. By the last test section a student can be way beyond his/her ability to concentrate. D used it once and officially renounced it. What DID help was that she was allowed to write her answers in the test booklet instead of dealing with the scantron bubbles. That was all she needed. </p>
<p>I believe (not 100% sure) that the college does not see the 504 until you matriculate. I KNOW they don’t know about accommodations on the tests.</p>
<p>I use it when i feel like i need to (on a class by class basis). For things such as essay exams i have to because i write slow and cannot grip a pen for a long amount of time.</p>
<p>I completely agree with you Gwen that you want to use accommodations judiciously. I’m an SAT/ACT tutor specializing in ADHD students, and I do discourage students from using extended time on the SAT on occasion for exactly that reason (that by the end of the day they’re wiped out). </p>
<p>I encourage kids to take practice tests using both standard and extended time conditions, strictly adhering to the time requirements. The results are sometimes surprising, and sometimes completely against using extended time. For students in this situation, if they don’t have a strong preference for the SAT, I recommend considering the ACT. The extended time guidelines can be a lot friendlier with the ACT for some students. Just my two cents.</p>
<p>And yes to the responses that colleges do not see if you took the test with accommodations.</p>
<p>Take the act with extended time it helps!!!</p>
<p>Extended time helps in a couple of ways:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>it lowers your anxiety. Studies show that 50% of adults with ADHD suffer from some sort of anxiety disorder. I didn’t have a diagnosis back then (I had one, but it was invalid for my purposes), but I convinced my school to let me use time-and-a-half and the psychological effect is that I became convinced, on a subconscious level, that I was not under pressure. That alone works miracles.</p></li>
<li><p>ADHD’ers often have trouble carrying a thought through to the end, and make silly mistakes in the process. Because of my natural intelligence, I work faster than my peers, but my ADHD also slows me down. Especially in math or science, I’ve developed a habit of compulsively checking every subsequent step in an effort to circumvent my natural limitations, and that takes a lot of time.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I had doubts about using accommodations too, but then I never want to fail again, so I’d go for it.</p>
<p>When I first took the ACT, I was approved for 50% extended time, and by the end of it, I was DEAD. I got a 30.</p>
<p>The second time, I asked for testing over multiple days. I expected I would get approved for 50% (but was hoping for 100% because that’s what the psycho-educational diagnosis suggested)…the ACT Company gave me <em>300%</em>. Needless to say, I was shocked. </p>
<p>What made the biggest difference in my grade, I believe, was the testing over multiple days. I think those with ADHD would really benefit from it.</p>
<p>Swans004 and others, do you think colleges and/or boarding schools assume that an applicant took the extra time accommodation when they have, say, documented ADHD/ADD? Our son did not secure this accommodation the second time he took the SSAT (as a transfer applicant) because he only made the decision to transfer after completing the full fall semester of 9th grade – so registered too late to secure it. He fared significantly worse scorewise (you could say bombed it) than when he took the extra time the year before. Since we have been completely up front about his ADHD/ADD status with the schools and supplied psych-ed testing, etc. I now fear they may assume he had the extra time and still did that “poorly” in testing. We never mentioned the issue in interviews or on his application but it would be interesting to know how this is viewed or what assumptions might be made as we gear up for college, i.e., if colleges assume he’s taking the extra time anyway, it seems he should in fact be sure and take it (in his case, it appears definitely legitimate and warranted). I know some folks are reluctant to red flag their child’s LD status but we feel uncomfortable about that and would prefer to be open and find the right fit for him going in – unless, of course, you can persuade me that this honesty-is-the-best-policy approach is insanity!</p>
<p>When dealing with the high school, I would let them know he did not have extra time. If you are going to disclose to colleges the ADHD, at that time, I would include that he did not have extra time on SAT/ACT if it concerns you. I don’t think colleges assume an ADHD student takes extra time, but it could not hurt to include the info with the diagnosis, imo</p>
<p>Hi Valdog,</p>
<p>Yes, I would absolutely let them know he took the test the second time around without accommodations. A large drop in scores needs some explaining, and he’s got a very good reason for it. And since the schools already know about his diagnosis, it’s not like you’re letting the cat out of the bag! It’s actually great evidence of what he’s capable of if given a little extra help. I assume he’d be requesting/receiving accommodations in school anyway if you’ve provided documentation.</p>
<p>As far as colleges go, I encourage students to be just as up front about ADHD. Accommodations may be absolutely necessary to perform at his best, so there’s no reason to hide it. I certainly understand kids think it’s a stigma, and I suppose in some ways they’re right, but at the same time the point of college is to learn. If you need extra help to learn, then get it!</p>
<p>Hope that helps a bit. Good luck!</p>
<p>Jenn</p>
<p>Thanks very much for these insights!</p>
<p>I took the PSAT with extended time (which honestly didn’t do much for me IMHO because I ended up finishing before the regular time calls on all but one section, and I feel confident that I’ll get good scores back). And with an accommodation allowing me to circle answers on the test booklet instead of bubbling the answer sheet. (Which helped a great deal with saving time and preventing my hand from getting tired)</p>
<p>Basically if I were to take it today I would ask to take it under regular time constraints but with my other accommodation still applied</p>